Dark Jungle
by nick-a-nu
Summary: In the Thundercats search for the final stone they follow the book of Omens to the largest jungle on Third Earth. What they don't know is this could possibly be the strangest adventure they have been on yet. With , lost temples, living Gods, massive river monsters and...tribes of jungle cats? but the larger mystery being what lies at the heart of the jungle?
1. Chapter 1

**Dark Jungle…**

**One…**

Pushing their faces against the glass the twins gazed out with amazement at the landscape far beneath the Feliner.

Stretching out for miles in each direction is a large, lush jungle. With high mountains met by low valleys, separated only by a thin layer of clouds drifting between the ridges of tree coded peaks.

"I've never seen a forced this big," exclaimed Wiley Kit, her eyes wide. "I think it's even bigger than the Forest of Magi Oar."

This isn't a forest," Panthro explained, walking up from behind "it's a jungle."

"What's the difference," asked Wiley Kat.

"Not much from looking at it but you'll find out once we step in," he answered, in a dark tone.

"Are we sure the stone is in their," asked Cheetara, her voice line with concern.

"No mistaking it," replied Lion-O. "That's where the book of Omens is pointing."

Cheetara, with worry in her eyes looks out the window. "Something about this place just seems wrong," she says softly, placing her hand on the glass.

She can't explain it but the closer they get to this jungle the greater this sick feeling in her grows.

The crew was startled by a sudden and loud blast of a alarm.

"What's happening," Lion-o yelled as he hurried to the second pilot chair.

"I don't know," Tygra shouted back, as more alarms sounded. The plane shudder as it began its descent down.

"All the instruments have gone haywire!"

Tygra pulled hard on the steering wheel but his strength isn't enough.

"If we go down here the trees will shred us," hollered Panthro, quickly fastening himself to the closest seat.

"I know," Tygra grunted back through his teeth.

The Feliner shook wildly as it plummeted out of the sky, the crew braced for what was sure to be a hard landing.

But with some skill Tygra was able to shift the controls just enough to aim for the large grasslands at the edge of the jungle.

The Feliner clipped the tops of trees as it near the grassy dunes.

The thunder cats are violently thrown about the inside of their airship for what seemed like eternity as it meets the ground.

Sliding through the tall blades of grass the Feliner comes to rest against a large ridge rising up from the land.

Inside the darkened bridge of the plane the loud ruckus of the crash is now met by eerie silence, while those within emerge from where they have finally settled.

Sounds of moans and movement can be heard from all around.

"Is everyone still in one piece?" asks Panthro, pushing what remains of a chair off his back.

"I think so," answered Wiley Kat looking around.

Seeing a small hand poking out from a little heap of rubble, he lets out a gasp.

Quickly bringing both of his own hands to his face, he grasps it's not either of his.

Then the realization hits him, "Wiley Kit," he bellowed. And in that moment the small mound of debris began to move.

Out rolled Wiley Kit with a dizzy look. "What just happened," she asked, trying to focus on her baffled brother's face. He just gave a shrug and everyone shared his sense of confusion….

The thundercats stumble out of their downed aircraft and surveyed over the wild landscape. The chin high grass around them is only absent from the planes landing. The ominous, dark jungle just within 100 yards away.

It's thick, trunk trees reach higher than any building in Thundera.

They stood like iron bars as if to keep all who dared out or maybe to keep something wicked within.

Whether it was the first or the latter, the thundercats have no way of knowing that the search for the last stone will be the greatest adventure yet….


	2. A Stranger's Voice

**Dark Jungle…**

**Two…**

Holding the sword to his eyes, Lion-o peers intensely into the distance. The war stone glows as he begins to look deeper in to the imposing jungle, trees pass by him in a blur. As the vision takes him past cliffs, waterfalls and all sorts of odd figures. Till he passes out of the dark jungle and into the blinding light of a clearing.

All around him nothing but strange tangled roots cover the ground.

Some were as thick as Panthro's waste and so numerous you couldn't see the ground beneath them.

In the distance a unusual shape appeared, he focuses and the vision brings him closer.

A massive ball of roots was before him, with branches of iridescent colored leaves protruding here and there.

But there is where the vision stops, throwing him back to his body still at the jungles beginning.

He looks blinking back at Panthro and his brother who had been waiting next to him.

"Well," Tygra asked, "did you see the stone?"

"I think so," replied Lion-o, "I saw something."

"Was it the stone," asked Tygra again, pointedly.

"I think so," Lion-o stress back with the same antagonizing manner.

"If the sword showed him something, it has to be the stone," Panthro added, breaking up the argument.

"If it is the stone, it's far in their," said Lion-o.

"If," Tygra mimic back.

Lion-o looked sharply at his brother as he turned and walk away.

"We best be gathering our supplies," said Panthro, placing a strong hand on Lion-o shoulder. "Looks like we'll be going in there on foot."

Panthro joined the others to inform them to begin packing. Leaving Lion-o alone with his thoughts, he stared out among the cluttered trees. "It's like a needle in a haystack," he said in a quiet voice, before turning and following Panthro.

It was decided, with the supplies gathered together they will leave first thing in the morning. The Thunder cats bed down in the Feliner for what could be the last night for quite a while.

…

The morning was cold as the Thunder cats awoke.

Lion-o had been up before the others, he was uneasy. The vision he received the day previous was more coded then any he had had. That left him with a cold feeling that could match the frosty air.

Once everyone was awake they prepared a simple breakfast. Seeing that they had a great deal of walking ahead of them they weren't about to miss that.

Quickly finishing they began gathering up the supplies they prepared the night before.

"I'll be taking that," said Panthro picking up the forever bag.

"But we always carry it," declared Wiley Kat.

"Yeah," added Wiley Kit.

"Now that it's got most of our supplies in it, I can have you sneaking in there every hour and munching on candy fruit," he said, throwing the bag over his shoulder.

The twins pouted but didn't talk back, knowing there wasn't an argument they could make that would be convincing.

Even at that very moment they both thought that some candy fruit sounded good.

I think it's time to be on our way," said Lion-o, a slight twinge of dread in his voice.

He gave a long look at the jungle before glancing back and nodding at Tygra.

Lion-o led the way as the rest of the thunder cats followed behind, they cut a path through the tall grass.

Coming before the jungle the cats gazed up at the lofty trees looking down at them, there stern presence seem to be towering over them. Almost daring them to continue.

Stepping into the jungle was like walking into a whole new world. The high canopy above filtered the sun like many different colored lenses.

Rays of gold and green shine through to the jungle floor.

The thick undergrowth made it difficult to see where they were going let alone get there.

The going was arduous at best and the thicket showed no signs of thinning. The mighty sword of omens was reduced to a weed whacker as the cats beat back the encroaching weeds with anything they had.

As the battle through the menacing greenery continued at the front the gang didn't realize that one of the cats was lagging behind.

Cheetara noticed from the first moment she stepped foot in this place she felt something wasn't right. The farther she went the harder it got to focus, first it was a mild buzzing in the ears to complete dizziness. The usual fast cat was sluggish as she used her staff to swing halfheartedly at the leaves around her.

In her hampered state she could hear her name being called as if from the other end of a long tunnel. She swayed lightly, Her body feels so heavy as everything went black.

"Cheetara," Tygra yelled, catching her limp body before it hit the ground.

"Cheetara," he repeated, but she did not respond. She could hear him but her body wouldn't move, he gently hit her cheek but she was out cold.

"Lion-o," he cried to the front of the pack.

The rest of the cats quickly turned and surrounded them.

"What happened," asked Lion-o as he kneel down beside them.

"I don't know," said Tygra, panic in his voice. "I noticed she wasn't beside me and when I called to her she looked so out of it. Then she just passed out."

"Here," Panthro said, clearing some leaves to reveal a long, rectangle rock. "Put her up here and get her some water."

Wiley Kit quickly fetched the canteen and handed it to Panthro as Tygra laid Cheetara's lifeless body upon the stone.

Cheetara meanwhile could hear the voices of her friends all around her, even though they were familiar they were distorted as if she was underwater.

She tried to answer but her mouth wouldn't budge, she focused intensely trying her best to reply. In her concentration she heard something apart from the voices she knows so well. In her ear a crisp quiet whisper, this voice was one she didn't recognize. It was so low she could hardly hear what it was saying, she listened even harder.

….. "Don't fight me, let go."…

Just then she felt a cold sensation trickle down the back of her throat.

Coughing she sprung up causing the other cats to jolt back startled by her sudden reaction.

"Are you okay," asked Tygra, patting her back as she choked up the water.

"Yes," she coughed out, while tears filled her eyes.

"What happened," asked Lion-o, once he scene she had caught her breath.

"I don't know," she said, sounding quite hoarse. "It just went all-black," she added, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Hmmm, maybe it's the humidity," said Panthro standing up. "It will sap the strength out of you if you're not used to it."

"Could that be it," questioned Tygra delicately.

"I don't know," she said lightly, as if questioning it herself.

"Maybe it's time we take a break," smile

Lion-o. "We've been at it for a while now."

"Yeah a break sounds good," said Wiley Kat.

"Just in time for some candy fruit," added Wiley Kit, opening up the forever bag.

"When did you two get that," Panthro shouted.

"When you put it down," Wiley Kit giggled.

Panthro reach for the bag but the twins quickly high tailed it through the brush.

Easy for them because of their small size but for Panthro following behind, it was a whole different story.

"Come back," you could hear him yell. "We ain't got time for this," as he fought his way through the brush….

Cheetara smiled as she watched the Twins play keep away from Panthro. She sat on the large stone, sipping on the cool water out of the canteen.

Her mind wandered back to the strange voice she heard.

(don't fight me, let go)

Was it her imagination, something she hallucinated? She couldn't have a definite answer but something inside told her that it didn't come from within her mind…but if not there then where?


	3. A Bump In The Road

Writers comment- ("I want to thank all those who read and commented on my works. I greatly appreciate the time taken out to review these stories. It encourages me immensely to continue on writing when I hear such wonderful and insightful things, so thank you again.") Nick-A-Nu ^-^

**Dark Jungle...**

**Chapter Three...**

The great effort the cats put in fighting through the jungle wasn't evident in the distance they had achieved. Only four days in and they barely made a dent in their lush surroundings.

Every step they took was amount to battling through thousands of hands pulling them back.

No one felt this more than Cheetara though she had not fainted again, she still felt unwell.

The days however are not as bad as the nights, with the little sleep she could get filled with torment. Waking sweaty and out of breath from dreams she couldn't remember.

Just about all the cats had had enough and will be glad for the day they can finally leave this place far behind them.

The only ones who still had any energy were the twins. They were in awe of the splendid oddities around them, with each step they discovered something even more strange and magical.

They would chase the whimsical, little creatures they find, collecting the multicolored flowers and leaves. The jungle was a never-ending treasure box for any child.

If it wasn't for Panthro constantly barking at them to keep close they would've gotten lost many times over.

Nothing captured their attention more than the fat, little trees with mirror like bark, they got great amusement making faces at the fun house like allusions reflected back at them.

…..

The fifth day was even more grueling than the previous, what started as a light drizzle in the morning went on to be a outright downpour.

With sheets of rain so thick at times one couldn't see an inch in front of their face. The cats had to take refuge in the hollowed out trunk of a giant, down tree.

"Looks like this'll be camp for tonight," said Lion-o, watching the rain hopelessly pour outside.

"You won't hear me complaining," added Panthro, gathering some semi dry twigs. "I've never seen rain come down this hard."

"Yeah," joined in Tygra, shaking the rain off his shoulders. "you'd be drier taking a bath."

"It'll be a miracle to get a fire going," added Panthro, throwing the twigs down in disgust.

Cheetara sits shivering against the trees rough wall.

"Are you still not feeling well," asked Tygra, sitting down beside her.

"I'm fine, it's just. It got so cold with this rain," she added.

Tiger looked at her puzzled, though it's raining the air is just as muggy as ever.

He placed his hand on her for head and breathe a sigh of relief, she's not feverish he thought.

Being stuck in this jungle he wouldn't know the first thing to do if she was sick.

He draped his arm around her shoulders as she leaned against him, her eyelids were so heavy.

With the rhythm of the rain hitting the leaves and the comforting sound of his beating heart she fell fast asleep.

It was the first decent nights sleep she's had since entering this other world.

Not just her but all the cats snuggled down for a peaceful rest.

…

Up earlier than anyone else again, Lion-o return to watching the rain. Even with the start of a new day the rain hasn't stopped, but had lightened enough to not hinder them from continuing their journey.

Getting everyone up and started once more proved to be difficult. The nights good rest should have revitalized them, instead it seemed to weigh them down.

And the rain no matter how light further complicated things.

"Could we have just slept for another fifteen minutes," complained Wiley Kat, dragging behind the others along side his sister and Snarf.

"We don't have time to nap," said Lion-o rather harshly. "If you were going to complain then you should've stayed back in the Feliner."

The three flinched in reaction, Lion-o had never snapped at them before. Seeing the hurt look on the twins faces he instantly regretted his words.

"Sorry guys," he said, lowering his eyes. "I guess I'm a little edgy today."

"Were all a little that way today," added Panthro. "This place is starting to get under our fur."

The rest of the morning on into the afternoon the cats labored through the jungle. By late in the day the rain had finally stopped and the cats, exhausted sat for a much needed rest.

Pulling out various dried meats and fruits from the forever bag, the thunder cats sat and enjoyed the breather from the march through the stifling thicket. The sun had come out and once more illuminated the jungle leaves around them.

Gulping down his rations Lion-o was ready to continue.

"Everyone ready to move out?" He asked, mouth still chewing his food.

"Calm down," said Tygra's. "Can't you see everyone's tired."

"We need to keep moving," Lion-o insisted "have you forgotten Mumm-Ra is searching for this stone as well. We can't afford for him to find it."

"You can't keep driving us like this," growled Tygra. "It's not our fault Mumm-Ra got his hands on the last stone."

Lion-o's eyes flashed, he knew exactly what his brother was insinuating but there was nothing he could say back. He clenched his jaw. "I'll scout ahead," he murmured under his breath before storming off.

"You shouldn't have said that," Cheetara advised, standing up slowly.

"It's the truth," Tygra added frankly.

"Still no one likes to have their failures thrown back in their face," interjected Panthro, "at least let the guy's wound heal before you start poking at it."

"He's right," Cheetara went on, "besides none of us could've predicted Pumyra's true motive."

Tygra a little alarmed by Cheetara's sudden loyalty towards his brother,

She had always then on his side before. "Whatever," he said in frustration.

"If you two want to baby him so be it, but that way he'll never learn."

He plopped down on the log folding his arms and scowling, he stared off into the bush inverting his eyes like a child who had lost a argument.

Before Cheetara could even begin to console him they heard a yell from out in the jungle.

The cats took off in its direction, they all could hear it was Lion-o calling out for them.

They immediately found him anxiously motioning for them to come quickly.

"What is it," Panthro yelled, ready for action.

"There, over there," he pointed excitedly in front of him, the cats couldn't believe it. Daylight shone through the trees, it was a clearing just about fifty feet away.

Could it be the location Lion-o had seen in his vision?

They raced over ecstatic, the possibility of the end of their hellish journey through this unforgiving place overtook them.

The cats leapt over obstacles and shot through the foliage faster then they would've thought possible a day before, as if there feet had wings.

The moment they bounced out into the light the joyous enthusiasm evaporated as their faces dropped.

The gang stared blinking and baffled out crossed the open field of chin high grass, in the distance the Feliner rested upon a ridge.

"You've got to be kidding me," Lion-o moaned dismally.

They were right back at the beginning, the struggle through the jungle had all been in vain.


End file.
